A 200-year-old ship uncovered during excavations at Ground Zero last month has been transported to a lab for evaluation.

The 32-foot piece of an 18th century ship was found during construction observations, buried below the street where the World Trade Center towers once stood.

Scientists sent the ship's remains to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. They hope that tests will reveal new information about life in America during that time period.

"It's a very integral part of New York City's history. It's a time when the city was really just developing," MAC Lab conservator Nichole Dowd said.

"By studying, we get not only an indication of how they made these [ships], but some reflection of life on shore too," added principal investigator Warren Riess. "It helps us understand people and ourselves."

A map from 1797 shows that the Ground Zero site is close to where two wharfs used to lead into the Hudson River.